Daily Archives: April 8, 2018

Have you ever been conned by a con artist? Chances are you probably do not know. That is why so many con men are able to get away with their scams because people simply do not know that they are being deceived. Maria Konnikova, psychologist and author of The Confidence Game: Why We Fall For It…Every Time, explains that con artists are often hard to recognize because they are charismatic people who come off as just being really friendly. Yet, this is far from the truth for many con artists.

When it comes to personalities, many con men seem to have a few similar traits. These traits are categorized as the dark triad of traits–psychopathy, narcissism, and machiavellianism. Konnikova explains that a con artist often has at least one of them, but sometimes, they may have all three. If an individual is psychopathic, they lack empathy, which makes them incapable of feeling remorse. The second trait, narcissism, forces a person to believe that they are more important to the world around them than they really are. And the final trait, machiavellianism, is the ability to persuade someone into doing something that they usually would not do, but making them believe that they are doing it willfully. If a con artist possesses at least one, if not all three, of these traits, then they are highly likely to be successful at conning someone.

Not only do con artists often possess certain personality traits, they usually have a plan that they follow. Konnikova states that there are three steps that con artists use to help them understand the person they are scamming in order to learn how to deceive them. The first step is called the put out which is when the con artist figures out what the person’s weaknesses are. Konnikova explains that this psychological profile is the most important step because it tells the con artist how they will be able to sell the person on the scam. In the next step, the con artist uses their storytelling skills to get the person to become emotionally involved which affects their ability to perceive any red flags that would indicate that they might be being scammed. The final step of the con artist’s plan, explains Konnikova, is to make the pitch which is when they ask for the thing they want, such as money. While many think it would be easy to identify when a con artist is at work, it is actually a lot more difficult because the con artist embodies aspects of the dark triad and knows how to use them within this plan.

Why are these con artists so successful? Konnikova explains that people tend to be persuaded by con artists because they want to remain consistent with their beliefs, so they will rationalize the situation even if it does appear to be a scam. Furthermore, research has shown that people are more likely to be deceived by a scam if they are at a point of vulnerability in their life. Even if the transaction with the con artist falls through, the mark will continue to rationalize the situation by convincing themselves it is simply a matter of bad luck. Since people who get conned tend to believe it was just bad luck, Konnikova states that very few con artists get reported, and those that do are often able to talk themselves out of charges, or at least minimize them. Since con artists are rarely reported, many are able to just continue conning people.

Guest:

Maria Konnikova, psychologist and author of The Confidence Game: Why We Fall For It… Every Time

The partition of India in 1947 is a historical event that often goes untold, despite being one of the largest mass migrations in the world. But, author Veera Hiranandani feels that it is important to talk about this time in history more now than ever. The author, whose book The Night Diary details the story of a young girl who lives in the midst of the partition of India, explains that this important event in history is losing the opportunity to be told by the people who experienced it because many of the people who were children during the partition are in their 80s and older. With this in mind, Hiranandani set out to write a book that focused on aspects of the partition of India that many people are unaware of.

Throughout the course of the novel, this event is told through the eyes of a 12 year-old girl which was done purposefully in order to convey a few points. Hiranandani wanted to honor the pain experienced from the amount of violence at this time without focusing on it too much due to the intended audience of her book. Another important point brought up by Hiranandani in The Night Diary was the division of religious beliefs at the time. She explains that these prominent divisions make it difficult for people to understand and overcome these differences. Finally, she wanted to address how the events of this history are still relatable today. The novel works to humanize refugees by depicting the character as typical 12 year-old that is worried about average everyday experiences. Hiranandani explains that she does this in order to help people look at the refugee as a young girl instead of othering her. In order to learn more about the partition of India, listen to this weeks show and pick up a copy of Hiranandani’s book, The Night Diary.

The first concert I ever attended was a Collective Soul show. I went with my family during the 1997 Taste of Chicago. I was 4 years old, so forgive me if my memory is a little hazy, but I do remember it being really, really hot and having a good time, even if i probably was a little confused as to why all those adults were dancing so strange.

Since ’97, I’ve been to my fair share of concerts. I’ve gone to Lollapalooza and been evacuated in the middle of a lightning storm. My friends and I saw a free Mumford and Sons concert in Austin, Texas over spring break. My wife and me trekked through a blizzard to see Hozier at a small club in Chicago right as his song Take Me To Church was blowing up.

I’ve seen Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, and Paul McCartney just…not all at once.

What I’ve learned in all my trips to concerts from dive bars to sold-out stadiums full of people is that there really is something special about being a part of a crowd and watching live music.

There are very few feelings in the world quite like the excitement that runs through your body when the first few notes of your favorite song come on and you know you just get to revel in it for the next 4 or 5 minutes.

You may not be much of a screamer, but once you feel the elation of finally see your favorite artist walk on stage and start playing, you can at least understand what was going on in one of the most famous live music clips of all time, when all those fans lost their minds for The Beatles at the Ed Sullivan show back in 1964.

With summer just around the corner, there will surely be a few bands coming to town you’d love to see. So whether that means buying a ticket to Camila Cabello or Chris Stapleton, splurge a little for the good seats and try to let yourself get carried away half as much of those Beatles fans did 54 years ago.